Safety of the Pack (On Hold)
by Ven'aranar Angel
Summary: The Kaminoans bred companions for the clones: massive Dire Wolves that can grow larger than horses. One of these wolves tries to move on and leave what happened on Christophsis behind, but can she really have a future when her past continues to haunt her?
1. Chapter 1

_A.N. ~ big thanks to Reulte for letting me borrow Chopper from 'Scars - Slick's Squad (Chopper's Story)'. If you haven't read it yet, you should. In this story, Chopper and the rest of the squad were all treated by Slick as they'd been in 'Scars', and Chopper has the same past as the one Reulte created for him (yet another reason to read Scars). _

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS. IT BELONGS TO LUCASFILM, AND ULTIMATELY, GEORGE LUCAS.**

* * *

CT-9523 walked down the alleyway, mind reeling and heart wrenching. He had been out with his squad, getting drinks. A pretty woman had been flirting with him throughout the evening, and—he tripped over something with a sharp curse.

For the first time, he noticed the laboured breathing echoing through the narrow, dark space. He knelt down, gloved fingers touching thick fur.

_One of our Dire Wolves,_ he realized.

"Are you alright?" He asked, rough voice painfully loud in the night's stillness. His eyes made out the glint of blood on the dark fur a moment before his hands came into contact with the liquid.

"Most recent skirmish...was injured while chasing...chasing a commando droid." The wolf panted. CT-9523 realized he had no way of transporting the wolf. If he went on all fours, the Dire would be larger than him. There was no way he was transporting an animal weighing over 360 pounds barehanded. And this was a small wolf trooper, too, compared to the rest of her species. He knew she wasn't going to last long with such a bad injury.

"I'll be back with help. Hang in there." The clone said before standing and running back toward base.

_Three quarter man, you aren't fast enough. She'll die, and it'll be your fault,_ Slick laughed in his head.

It only made him run faster. He barely slowed down enough for the automatic doors to open in time, nearly colliding with a few troopers as he ran to the medical unit.

§ § §

The black wolf, WT-5697, was recovering quickly, though grieved over the loss of her squad. She missed her chosen human counterpart and wished he wasn't gone; that he would come walking through the door and jokingly tease her about the missing patch of fur around the cut on her shoulder from the commando droid's vibrosword.

It was the day before her release from the medical bay when the clone who had found her came in. She recognized him by scent and sent a friendly yip in his direction. He barely nodded in return while sitting on a bed across from her.

His leg had taken a grazing shot, mostly damaged by heat and fast-moving debris. The black wolf didn't know what had caused the injury, only that she could smell the blood on him, but her ears twitched and angled toward a conversation between a couple of other clones behind her. The scent of two male Dire Wolves were with them.

"Oh look, the three quarter man." The voice was loud enough to be heard across the room, and the black she-wolf could see the man across from her had heard as well.

"Least I won't end up looking like him." The injured of the two said. A menacing growl erupted from WT-5697 as she stood, turning to face the startled men. Her hackles rose until she seemed a third her usual size. Even the larger Dire Wolves accompanying the two clones were cowed by the sudden ferocity she was displaying.

"Call him that one more time." She dared. They remained silent and she continued. "Apologize, or so help me, I'll lose my temper." They muttered 'sorries' to the clone who had just recently been at the receiving end of their scorn. As they moved to a different end of the room, the dark she-wolf settled down again.

"Thanks." The clone hesitantly said.

"Someone had to do it." WT-5697 rested her head on her paws. She was too depressed to exchange chitchat with this trooper, even if he had saved her life.

Little did either of the pair know that Captain Rex and Commander Cody, along with their wolves, Steadfast and Jerik, had been passing on their way to the Mess Hall when the initial growl had caught their attention, causing them to stay and listen to the entire confrontation.

"Wasn't that one of the pups fresh from Kamino?" Steadfast asked his friend as they walked beside the two high-ranking clones.

"And the only survivor of her squad. Barely." Like Cody, Jerik delivered deadpan humour, if any.

"All KIA?" Rex's companion was hesitant to poke a fresh bruise, but Jerik was only half listening and gave a slight nod to answer.

"Skirmishes are starting to become more than just skirmishes." The pale ginger wolf murmured.

"Any squads open to transfer her into?" Steadfast nudged his friend to draw back his attention.

"I'll ask Cody about it. Do you smell that?" They paused their conversation to inhale the scents of the air.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary." Steadfast shrugged.

"Hmm, must've been a lingering scent. Come on, let's go eat something."

§ § §

WT-5697 didn't think she was ready for a new squad. Sure, she was healthy, but the wound of losing her first pack was far too raw to be forced shut.

As she slipped silently into the barracks of Sergeant Slick's squad, she forced her ears up and raised her head, knowing she couldn't afford to appear emotionally disrupt, no matter how much she actually was.

Her entrance was unnoticed for several seconds, then the massive pure white wolf lying at a sneering clone's feet lifted his head before standing to meet her. She bowed her head, recognizing the authority with which nearly all alphas had in their movements, in respect.

"I am Squad Alpha Snow Flash. Are you the new recruit we were told about?" The other wolves and humans had taken notice and watched intently.

"Yes, Alpha. WT-5697 reporting for duty." The she-wolf no longer bowed her head, but stood stock still with her ears forward and eyes gazing straight ahead, unseeing, yet aware of every movement Snow Flash made.

It was the stance of attention engineered specifically for the massive Dire Wolves the Kaminoans had bred. The Alpha gave WT-5697's flank a hard shove with his nose as he circled her. The young she-wolf swayed slightly, but didn't lose her balance.

"You're awfully small to be out fighting. Small enough, in fact, to not be done your training at all." Snow Flash's words were seductively taunting. The black she-wolf somehow managed to stiffen even more, seeming to be made of wood. If any other wolf had questioned her capability, she would have challenged him to a fight, or simply attacked right then and there.

WT-5697 forced the mane of thicker fur running down her spine to remain lying flat. This wasn't any other wolf. This was an alpha. She couldn't and wouldn't attack him. Then _he_ attacked _her_.

She yelped in surprise as his teeth ripped the tender skin where her fur was growing back, right where she'd been cut. She whirled around to face him, if only to be sure he wouldn't do it again than to present a challenge to his dominance. She dodged the next attack, hackles rising without her noticing.

"Alpha?" She asked, confused at his aggression.

"Come on, pup. Prove you aren't going to be a burden." Snow Flash challenged. The next time the great white wolf lunged, his teeth were ducked under as WT-5697 grasped his foreleg between her teeth, biting down as hard as she could while moving the rest of her body out of her opponent's reach.

Sketch and Punch both stood, mimicked by their wolves while Gus and his Dire hung back, reluctantly submissive. Chopper watched from his bunk, feigning apathy while silently hoping for the small black she-wolf to survive.

The Alpha Wolf shook WT-5697 off like a bothersome fly and pinned her. She bit the area just above Snow Flash's claw, into the sensitive skin that was her only hope of escape.

She wriggled free and growled, low and warningly. The black she-wolf only wanted the fight to last as long as it had to. She ignored the claws that scored her ear as she tried jumping on Snow Flash's back.

He dodged while turning and slammed his paws down on her, one over her neck and the other on her ribs. After a short bout of struggling, Fifty Six relaxed, knowing she was beaten.

The Squad Alpha raked his claws over her skin, leaving long, bloody trails from the side of her neck just below her ear to near her throat with one paw and from a couple inches below her spine to near her soft underbelly with the other as he took his weight off her.

"Hey, that wasn't necessary!"

"She was already pinned!" Punch and Sketch's wolves barked, speaking one half of a whole protest each.

"No, it's fine. They're only pup scratches." The newest member of the squad grunted while getting to her feet.

"Well then, Chopper old boy, why don't you get to know your new pet better." Slick said while standing and leaving with his wolf, followed by Gus. Punch and Sketch also left, their Dires following, casting glances back at the she-wolf. Jester went to his bunk, obsessively scrubbing his gun. His wolf slipped in between the bed and wall, disappearing from sight.

_Pet, _Fifty Six spat in her mind. _Is that what I am to him?_

Chopper approached the she-wolf, intending to help clean the blood from her fur, but she snapped at his outstretched hand and limped to the other side of the room, licking her wounds and growling whenever Chopper got too close. He finally sat back down on his bunk with a frustrated sigh.

Eventually, the only cuts that hadn't been cleaned were the ones on the black she-wolf's ear, neck, and one that she hadn't even felt during the fight near her tail. She tried to get the last of the listed injuries, but it was out of her reach.

She finally just rested, head between paws. Chopper got a cloth and wet it in the refresher's sink before slowly walking to her. She huffed in irritation, but didn't chase him away as he knelt at her side.

The scarred trooper didn't make eye contact as she looked at him, just waited for her to give permission. Jester and his wolf left, making the deadlocked pair the only living beings in the room. Eventually, WT-5697 stood up and put her injured paw on Chopper's left shoulder and rested her head on his right.

"I'll protect you." She promised before lying down again. Chopper blinked, wondering how this half-beaten, small wolf could possibly say that to him. He blankly started cleaning her cuts, wiping away the blood.

* * *

_A.N. ~ there's Chapter One. Chapter Two will be sometime in the next 48 hours. Honestly, I'm not going to set any exact deadlines because of Darth Real Life stalking me. Please review, positive and negatives._


	2. Chapter 2

_A.N. ~ Chapter Two, as promised. I can only take credit for a small percentage of this chapter, because much of it was supplied by Reulte. Thank you **so** much for letting me borrow Chopper._

* * *

Apatha walked beside Chopper as the squad entered their quarters.

"No way they're capable of something like this!" Slick was saying, slicing his hand through the air in emphasis. Rex and Cody, their Dire Wolves beside them, were standing and listening.

"Something like what?" Gus asked nervously.

"You called them here?" A note of... What, confusion? Surprise? Both? Was in the sergeant's voice. Slick usually was to the point of having eyes in the back of his head whenever his squad was involved. Hearing he hadn't known was unexpected.

"Of course we did. We're getting to the bottom of this. Now." Captain Rex said, eyes hard as he scanned the confused squad.

"Look, let me have a few minutes with them first. It's gonna hit them hard." Slick begged, something he would only ever do if he was desperate...or playing nice for the COs. "They trust each other, and if one of our own betrayed us..." Apatha's ears swivelled forward at the last part. Betrayed? One of the squad was a traitor?

"I don't think that's necessary. Your men are tough, right? Take a seat, gentlemen." Chopper sat on a crate beside Gus, Apatha and Fall, the latter human's wolf, sitting at their feet. Punch and Sketch took the second crate while Jester went to his bunk. "We have a turncoat in our midst, and we think it's one of you." The Marshal Commander continued.

Chopper and Apatha both became very still, knowing they had broken a rule and terrified it was why the two high ranking troops had come. Chopper went to sit at his bunk, shadowed by his only friend.

The two COs started with Jester. Nervous, recently-beginning-to-stutter Jester. Steadfast and Jerik looking at Thrash, the Dire Wolf known to hide himself between his partner's bed and the wall.

"I...I don't know. I was doing the things I always do after a mission."

"Things like what?" Rex's threatening air didn't help the poor trooper.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just a little nervous. You're my CO." Most every trooper was uncomfortable talking to a simple lieutenant, never mind the captain of Torrent Company.

"Well, way I figure it, you tell the truth, you've got nothing to worry about." Rex's tone had taken a lighter air, the Captain knowing scaring the trooper wouldn't make things go any faster.

"Jester is telling the truth. He cleans his weapon after every mission. First thing, every time. He's kind of obsessed that way." Sketch interrupted, covering his brother. Out of everyone in the squad, Sketch, Punch, Ink, and Line had been least affected by Slick's torment. They had back up. They had support. They had each other.

"Is that right? You were cleaning your weapon?" Cody's voice was not softened in the least. One of his men was a traitor and he was finding out which.

"Yes, sir." Jester replied. Thrash remained silent.

"Go on the computer while you were in here?" The Commander persisted.

"No, sir. Didn't even power it up. You can check." Jester answered while slightly waving his upturned hand toward the machine.

"Show me your weapon." The tone Cody had used made Jester ever so slightly flinch. He handed the gun to his questioner. Slick had once unfairly given the trooper a demerit for a dirty weapon, long before Jester had even had a chance to pick up the rag. "Yep, freshly scrubbed." Jester visibly relaxed as his DC-15 was returned to him.

"The rag's over there in the corner." He added, tilting his head toward the bin.

"Good man." A light of surprise and joy entered Jester's eyes.

_Two words. That's all it takes, Slick. Two words and this squad could be one of the best,_ Chopper thought.

The others gave their alibis, a couple more requests from Slick for more time interrupting, then it was Chopper and Apatha's turns.

"So, Chopper, old boy. What's your alibi?" Rex asked softly. Apatha suppressed a growl. That was Slick's wording.

_'You need to step down, Chopper, old boy'._

_'Women just don't like your scars, Chopper, old boy'._

_'Chopper, old boy, I may need to see your chip. That attitude of yours is worth a little note'._

"I was in the Mess Hall." It wasn't a complete lie.

"No, you weren't!" Sketch burst out, standing. "You... I mean... You..."

"If you know something, kid, you should speak up." Cody's voice had become steely.

"Chopper and Apatha came in a lot later, after everyone else." Sketch sat back down, not making eye contact with either of the two he'd just ratted out.

"Where were you two before you went to the Mess?" Rex's voice had gone completely soft, though his expression remained encased in stone.

"Nowhere. Walking around." Chopper said evasively. Apatha suppressed a groaned and nearly rolled her eyes. Once this was all over, she was going to have a little chat with her friend about his ability to lie smoothly.

"Son, you know we'll need a better answer than that." Cody's voice was no longer accusing, just...official. Brisk and calm. After a few seconds hesitation, Chopper quietly sighed and started fishing under the mattress of his bunk.

"I didn't want anyone to see me string these together." He said, producing a necklace decorated with metal parts.

"Battle droid fingers." Rex's voice had an unmistakeable tinge of anger and disgust in it.

"Were you involved in this?" Steadfast spoke for the first time, looking back to Apatha.

"No. She didn't know about them." Chopper quickly explained. Apatha nipped his hand sharply, drawing out a yelp. "Ow—hey!" He protested.

"If you're going down, I'm going down with you. Yes, I was involved." The she-wolf answered. For once, she wasn't showing the wall of apathy that she usually shielded herself with.

"I just wanted something back. I guess I felt like they owed me." The guilty trooper was struggling for words. Apatha was the only one who knew and understood his reasoning.

"I always knew there was something deficient about you." Gus stated, sounding for all the world like Slick. Gus was more a pet to his sergeant than any wolf.

_Of course he'd mimicked his master,_ Apatha thought bitterly as a threatening growl rumbled in her chest.

"And you? What's your excuse?" Steadfast turned on the small wolf.

"If they owe Chopper, they owe me." She rarely showed such sentiment, but she was in the presence of her COs. She couldn't pretend not to care. The others slightly advanced and the she-wolf stood. She had promised to protect Chopper and she would do so against even her own squad mates.

"This isn't good, Chopper." Slick stated. The accused clone turned his back to them, but Slick walked around the bunk to face him. Snow Flash stood over Apatha. "Lying about where you were, taking forbidden items from the battlefield. I put up with your attitude because you have skill, but if you could break these rules, your whole character's in question here."

"Wait, no. Hang on." Chopper turned to Cody. "I'm no spy!" Everyone moved in, surrounding Chopper and Apatha. The black wolf stood between them and her friend, hackles up as she prepared for a fight. She was barely a third of some of the other Dires' sizes, but that never affected her ferocity.

"Chopper, we're all brothers, but how can we trust anything you say now?" Slick asked gently.

"I know it's forbidden, but you're missing the part where we were pilfering droid parts, not spying for the Separatists." Apatha snapped.

"I'm telling you, we did not..." Chopper looked at the Commander for help.

"It's okay. We'll you two a proper investigation. You don't have to say anything 'til the Jedi get back." Slick placed a hand on Chopper's shoulder.

"Maybe you should talk, sir. Tell them where you and Snow Flash went. We were at the south exit, remember? We saw you two go in, sir. We saw you." Chopper snapped, slapping away the sergeant's hand. Apatha growled again, this time directing her aggression towards Slick and squad alpha.

"Chopper, I have been patient." Slick tried to put his hand on Chopper again, but his arm was batted away.

"Everyone else turned right. You two turned left, toward the command centre. Where were you going, sir?"

"Obviously, the kid feels cornered." Such an understanding and gentle voice emanated from Slick's throat that the cornered pair knew they had lost.

"Sergeant! What did you mean, ''til the Jedi get back'?" The attention was shifted back to Slick and Snow Flash as Cody spoke. "How did you know the Jedi were gone?" Chopper and Apatha stood to Cody's left while everyone else took his right.

"I really wish you hadn't noticed that, sir." Slick murmured. He suddenly punched the Commander before elbowing Chopper's face. Snow Flash made for the door, but Apatha sank her teeth into his leg. Her growing battle fever had given her the speed to grab the traitor. Slick ran out, abandoning his wolf.

"It's Slick? Slick is the traitor?" Rex asked while chasing after the turncoat, followed by Cody. Steadfast and Jerik leapt on Snow Flash, then the rest of the wolves.

"Slick's not the only one." Jerik barked, ears flattened in fury.

"I was trying to help! The Republic treats us as primitive pets! I was going to help free the Dire Wolves!" Snow Flash howled.

"So your solution was to sell us out to the Separatists to be killed?" Steadfast demanded.

"They promised us freedom, to spare us!" Apatha bit harder in protest.

"Let's get him to the brig." Jerik spat.

§ § §

APATHA'S P.O.V.

Chopper and I are confined to our quarters. At least, until the court marshal.

"You really would've fought if they attacked me?" Chopper asks.

"Every last one of them. You?"

"Every last one." I nose his hand before returning to my pacing. I have to wonder how they went from accusing us of taking forbidden items to assuming we're traitors. It wasn't a good one, but it was still an alibi, so why hadn't they asked Slick about his? The only reason we didn't get charged as traitors was because Slick had made a mistake. One tiny mistake that Cody had nearly missed.

It just seamed so...wrong. Wrong that we hadn't been given a chance to fully explain. Wrong that Slick had treated us all so badly. Wrong, even, that he abandoned Snow Flash. Wrong that the cruelty hadn't been noticed before we were all pushed so far.

Chopper'd told me about what Slick had done before I'd come into the squad. About how, after Chopper lost what he calculated to be a quarter of his brain, Slick had come in and taunted him. Said 'k'atini' and called him three quarter man for the first time. It makes me wish I could have five minutes off the chart with that turncoat.

I soon lie down on the floor next to Chopper's bunk. The scents of the squad are growing stale, but I can still make out everyone. Including Snow Flash. I remember how he'd picked up Slick's name for Chopper. The only time I ever really got attention was when I was in trouble.

'_Fifty Six, old girl, you've been a bit slow lately'._

_'Fifty Six, old girl, you have a bit of an apathetic side'._

_'That was a pretty sloppy kill, Fifty Six, old girl'._

So many things I did wrong. Chopper knows that I was the only one in my old squad not KIA. My first squad, my first mission, my first loss. We understand each other that way. He'd lost his first squad on his first mission, too. He'd been badly injured the first time, too. Slick often gave his squad unwanted attention, Snow Flash had a variation of that treatment.

To the traitorous alpha, we didn't exist unless he was giving orders or in a bad mood. This continuous play of ignorance to our existence caused me to get my name. I stopped caring if I was ignored, and stopped caring if I was in trouble. I pretended to not care about anyone or anything, unless I was away from other people with Chopper.

I hadn't been too thrilled with breaking protocol and helping bite off droid fingers for him, but I really did stop caring about it after a while. Not caring was easier than worrying over something you couldn't take back.

* * *

_A.N. ~ Chapter Three will show sometime in the next 48 hours. Please review, positively and negatively._


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. ~ well, I said in the next 48 hours, didn't I? Not much to say right now except 'please enjoy the chapter'._

* * *

NO P.O.V.

Apatha had been moved to a different set of quarters. There were plenty to choose from since Torrent company left for Teth, but she had at first refused to move an inch. The she-wolf wanted to be able to keep an eye on Chopper, and couldn't do anything of the sort if she wasn't there with him. He had talked her into cooperation, though she'd remained hesitant.

She was currently lying on an abandoned bed when the door opened. Apatha glanced up to see Tracks, a high-ranking Dire Wolf, the partner of Cody's second, walk in.

She lost interest and placed her head back on the mattress between her forelegs. It was impudent to ignore an alpha, but she didn't care what happened anymore. Only that Chopper was alright.

"I'm here to interrogate you regarding your involvement in the forbidden collection of droid fingers." Tracks stated, expecting a reaction and slightly perturbed at her continued disinterest towards him. "Omega! Your attention." His order was ignored.

He had to grudgingly admit that he was impressed by her bravery to show indifference when she was a third of his size. She was, in fact, the smallest adult Dire he'd ever seen, if still young. He sat down with a quiet sigh. It took a while, but finally, the jet black wolf spoke.

"Will Chopper be alright?"

"You should be more concerned about—"

"Will he be alright?" Her voice was harsh and accompanied by a snarl as she raised her head, hackles rising. Tracks was taken aback by her sudden aggression, but caught himself.

"Yes. He won't get promoted in the next two years, but I doubt he'll be harmed or...reconditioned." Apatha relaxed and laid back down.

"When did the collection of droid fingers start?" The Alpha tried again.

"Chopper is safe. Doesn't matter what happens to me, now."

_Apatha is a fitting name for her,_ Tracks thought.

"You care about him, then. You clearly don't care about anything else, so remember you can only see him again if you cooperate." She flicked an ear in his direction. He took it as a sign to continue. "What makes you so devoted to him? You've only been together for a few weeks, while you were getting over the loss of your first squad, so what makes him so special?" A low, quiet growl was the only reply. When it became clear Apatha wouldn't be talking, Tracks stood.

"I'll be back tomorrow, then."

§ § §

It took Tracks two more days to get Apatha to speak at all. She had remained stubbornly mute until the third day. Then she finally opened up.

"Chopper was thought dead on Geonosis. They didn't find him until after the fighting, as they collected the bodies. That was his first deployment, when he lost his squad. I lost my squad when I first came to this kriffing rock."

"And how did you survive?" Tracks asked, more curious than focused on recording her answers on the hidden microphone in his fur.

"Here's the ironic part. I was saved by a commando droid, because I chased it. Right into an ambush in an alleyway nearly a klick away from the battle. It gave me a deep cut where my shoulder and neck meet with its vibrosword, hitting my carotid artery. By the time I managed to take the thing's head off, I'd lost a lot of blood. I knew in my condition I'd get killed in the fighting, so I followed procedure and lay down, injured-side up." Tracks nodded. It made sense then why she had made it and been where Chopper had found her.

"So you thought your squad would find you..."

"But they never came. In a couple hours, I was too weak to get up, anyways. By nightfall, I was almost unconscious. That's when Chopper found me."

"So you thought the droids 'owed you' like they owed Chopper?" Apatha shook her head. Soon it was obvious she was done for the day and Tracks left. When he came back the next morning, Apatha was still on the bed.

"So, the droid fingers." Tracks started. The she-wolf remained silent so long he thought he wasn't going to get anything out of her, but she stirred.

"I wasn't always 'Apatha'." She murmured.

"I wasn't always 'Tracks'. We always start without names." Her interrogator wondered why she was bringing this up.

"I meant I used to care. Before...Chopper. I cared about my squad and what happened to us. I stopped caring when I faced the fact they were gone. If I cared, I wouldn't have been able to cope. When Snow Flash ignored us, I started ignoring him. Figured if he didn't care, I wouldn't, either."

"So you took after him?" Tracks asked, getting on a bunk of his own.

"No, not really. Well, I guess in a way I did, but at the time I was thinking more that I'd just not care that he didn't. When it became clear I didn't care if the trooper next to me went down or not, 'Apatha' became my nickname." Tracks had expected someone whose name reflected the word apathy to be cold, but hearing her admit to it was still a slight shock.

"Snow Flash ignored you?" He asked carefully.

"He ignored all of us. Unless, of course, we made a mistake. Those were unforgivable. We were trained as perfect soldiers, and he expected nothing less. He's more Kaminoan than wolf, really."

"Did he start friendly with you?" Apatha shook her head.

"He attacked me. We fought to draw blood. He thought I would be a burden. I'm the size of a half-trained pup, after all." Admitting to her small size was either a sign of maturity or her developed apathetic nature in Tracks' eyes.

"Did he ever attack Chopper?" A shaken head, then silence. The Battalion's Second Alpha dug his claws into the mattress, irritated at the slow pace of his investigation. He left with his pelt prickling as he thought about Snow flash.

_What kind of squad alpha was that white monster?_

§ § §

"Alright, WT-5697, let's get down to business. I've been told once you and Chopper finish interrogations, you can see each other again." Apatha's ears pricked.

"Why my number?" She asked tiredly.

"You didn't start as Apatha, and you became that because it was the only way you saw to handle the situation you were put in. Now, care to tell me when the droid fingers started getting collected?" Apatha hesitated, but with the new promise of Chopper's company on mind, she began to talk.

"Chopper can take down SBDs with a single shot. The first time he did this, he told Sketch and Punch about it, but Slick told them he was lying. It actually began before I joined the squad, but next time I was on patrol with Chopper, he took down another B2. He said he wanted proof that he had done it. At first I didn't want to help, but then he explained the deeper reasons for why he did it."

"And those were?" Tracks was uncomfortable on this subject, but at least he was getting somewhere.

"Those are Chopper's secrets, not mine. Ask his permission about it for me, and then I'll talk." Tracks left, but came back in twenty minutes.

"His exact words were 'she knows what she should say', so I'm going to assume I won't get all the details." Apatha nodded.

"It's not so much the physical scars he thinks they owe him for, but more like the emotional ones. He's had to face and narrowly escaped reconditioning twice. Add the threat of that over your head while you hear your entire squad is dead, then throw in a shabuir who tells you to k'atini and calls you 'three quarter man'. Chopper estimated a quarter of his brain had been left behind on Geonosis; a sure bet for a trip back to Kamino. He...discussed a bacta tank with the medical staff."

"So he figures it's the droids' faults for nearly being reconditioned and losing part of his brain." Tracks stated.

"Unless someone else injured him to the point of the Kaminoans' attention." Apatha's sarcasm didn't bother the Alpha so much as her lack of emotion while discussing such sensitive matters.

"The question still stands. Why do you care so much for Chopper?"

* * *

A.N. ~ cliffhanger! Don't worry, I'll be posting Chapter Four in the next 24 hours, this time. What happened to Chopper on Geonosis was Reulte's idea, not mine. For goodness' sake, read Scars! It's worth your time. As always, positive and negative reviews, please...


	4. Chapter 4

_A.N. ~ first thing I'm going to do is apologize for not getting this chapter up within 24 hours like I'd said. I hadn't realized I'd finished posting all my prewritten chapters. I'd also like to thank CaylithTheGolden for being the first to comment on this fanfic. Much appreciated, dragon queen. So, that being said, enjoy Chapter Four._

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"At first, it was only because he saved my life. During my fight with Snow Flash, I noticed how he pretended to not care until Slick and his wolf were gone. Then he tried helping me. And...wasn't put off by my growling. That proved he cared, and also showed that Slick was just as bad as his mutt." Tracks' ears flicked at the insult. A Dire only called another that if he or she was looking for a fight. "That's why I promised to protect him, you know, because I didn't think he could really not care like I did. We understand each other and watch each other's backs." Apatha wouldn't say it, but she also knew she and Chopper were all they had. Chopper was her only friend and vice versa.

"So how did Slick and Snow Flash treat the rest of the pack?" Tracks asked.

"Snow Flash, I already said. He ignored us until there was a slip up. Slick was a little different. He had a never-ending rule chart that changed depending on wether he could pin something on one of us or not. One moment, he's being friendly, then, bam, a demerit for something like a few off words. Jester's obsessed with cleaning his weapon 'cause he got in trouble for not cleaning it. Not even a chance to get out of his armour and there Slick is, yelling at him because of his sloppiness." Tracks nearly growled at the news. He forced himself to remain calm.

"And the others? How were they treated?"

"Gus was Slick's pet. He did and said whatever Slick wanted. Like when he called Chopper deficient just before Slick made his break for it. That wasn't Gus. That was one hundred percent Slick. Punch and Sketch held out better. They had each other, after all. Though, Slick would sometimes rip Sketch's drawings apart in front of the poor guy if he saw fit."

"Alright, I think I've heard enough. Just wait for Chopper's interviewing to finish, then you'll be court marshalled together." Apatha was hopeful hearing that promise. She missed her friend.

§ § §

Chopper's interviewing took longer than Apatha's, but it finally ended and she was led back to his quarters. They waited until they were alone, then the wolf reared up on her hind legs, placing the wrists of her forelegs on Chopper's shoulders before nuzzling his head with her own.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but the weight and his unbalanced stance toppled him backwards on top of a bunk. Apatha impishly licked his face, being sure to wet it. He spluttered and shoved her off, wiping away the spit with his forearm.

"That was unnecessary." He grumbled.

"I missed you, too. Are you alright?" Apatha sniffed him, but found no injuries or signs of harm.

"You've been eating, right? You look a bit skinny." Chopper poked her ribs, eliciting a yelp and indignant shake of fur.

"I went on a diet. Wasn't too hungry, anyways." She replied.

"Di'kut. And I'm alright. What about you?"

"I told you we'd get caught." Chopper became slightly quieter, but shook it off.

"Ah, well, we won't die."

"True enough. Though, I guess I won't get to boss around any pups for a while."

"Yeah, like you want to be an alpha anyway."

"Good point."

§ § §

Apatha was like a statue during the court marshal. Sure, she walked and looked like a living creature, but she remained impassive, as though she wasn't affected in the least as the Board of Inquiry spoke. She didn't so much as flick her ear at the wrap of Prince Bail Organa's knuckles against the table.

"CT-9523 and WT-5697, we are here to determine wether you two are guilty of collecting forbidden articles from the field of battle, and, after discussion, the Board has found you both guilty with extenuating circumstances. Punishment remanded will revert to your commanding officer after reassignment." Apatha hadn't expected this outcome, and Chopper hadn't, either. They both snapped off 'yes, sir's before falling silent as Jedi General Kenobi spoke.

"In going over both your records we have discovered other events and discrepancies and, as a result we have decided to recommend the following corrections and additions to your records. Chopper, for obtaining a Separatist artifact; that is to say, one TX-series tactical droid head with intelligence intact leading directly to the discovery of a spy in our midst, the Board recommends commendation." Apatha wondered if the Board knew that Chopper had only collected the droid head as a trophy.

"All demerits listed by one CS-21-8644 are revoked under extenuating circumstances, also unanimous." Captain Rex stated, hiding his true thoughts and feelings under a wall of dutiful officialism. "Retroactively, we have recommended removal of all demerits from the remainder of the squad, as well. We find it difficult to believe a traitor would give an honest evaluation."

"Unless there are any objections or further information for this board to consider?" Prince Organa prepared to knock on the table once again.

"I have something to say." Chopper spoke up, surprising even Apatha. "I didn't obtain the TX head for information. I wanted..." Chopper struggled to find the right words to explain. Apatha felt a small glow of pride that her partner was taking responsibility for his actions, motives known by the Board or not.

"The reason you acquired the intelligence is irrelevant to the Board, CT-9523. The end result is our concern in this case." Kenobi explained softly. Apatha barely kept up her uncaring front, she was so relieved and thankful.

"Further collection of forbidden articles from the battlefield will carry a heavy penalty, troopers." Cody warned, voice only just hard enough to get the point through without sounding like he expected them to not understand. "But discipline will be up to your new captain."

"Understood, Commander." Chopper said while the black she-wolf barked a clipped 'sir, yes, sir'.

"Anything further?" Bail Organa asked, meeting everyone's gazes with his own. "No? This Board of Inquiry is now closed." The clack of knuckles against wood once again filled the room. Chopper gave a sharp salute and put on his helmet while Apatha bowed her head in submission before they both turned. Chopper paused in his strides long enough to turn his head to a young Togruta. Once again the trooper went to attention, and threw the youngling a salute.

"Thank you, Commander Tano."

§ § §

Being reassigned to the 378th Attack Battalion was daunting for Apatha and Chopper. They didn't know what the command group was like and didn't know how much their new Jedi General, Stass Allie, trusted them. They were waiting to be picked up by the Exuberance, or to be more precise, one of her LAAT/i gunships.

"Nervous?" Apatha asked Chopper.

"Why do you ask?" His tone was defensive.

"You need to calm down. I can smell your fear-scent. You don't need our new captain's Dire to smell it." The she-wolf replied.

"Alright, alright. What about you? Are you alright?" Apatha nodded.

"You know me: not a care in the world." The black Dire Wolf joked.

"Like haran you don't."

"Eh, well, don't tell anyone. I am, after all, uncaring." Joking about her name with Chopper seemed like the best way to deal with a heavy burden to Apatha.

"Do I even need to dignify that statement with a refusal?" Chopper asked.

"The larty's here." The black wolf suddenly said, ears swivelling forward and to the left. In a few seconds, Chopper could hear it, too. The ship landed, engines roaring loudly enough to deafen a pup. The doors opened and the two got on quietly.

§ § §

Apatha had decided that she was never going to get injured again. Minorly because she'd seen enough of med bays on Christophsis, and majorly, the wolf medic in her new squad looked exactly like Snow Flash, minus his dark brown eyes. She avoided him like the Blue Shadow Virus, and only talked to him if absolutely necessary.

Her avoidance didn't go unnoticed, by both the medic and her new squad alpha. The black she-wolf had been walking with Chopper, planning to keep him company during his night shift, when Blood Fang intercepted them. Apatha bowed her head, angling her neck so it was open to the alpha as a traditional sign of respect and trust.

"Apatha, a word. Chopper, on your way." The slender, coco-shaded alpha ordered. Once Chopper was out of earshot, the Alpha began to speak.

"Is there a quarrel between you and Needle Tooth? I've noticed you seem to avoid him." Blood Fang asked, her tone soft.

"He just reminds me of someone I used to know, Alpha. Someone I'd rather forget." The vague answer intrigued Blood Fang further, but she put aside her personal curiosity.

"Well, try to remember that whoever you had a problem with and our medic aren't the same wolves."

"Yes, Alpha." Apatha once again bowed her head. The Alpha gave her subordinate a friendly lick on the shoulder before leaving. Apatha was shocked at the small gesture.

She hadn't been touched like that for a lifetime, ever since her first squad had died. Snow Flash never had shown any such kind of favour.

During the shift, Chopper noticed Apatha's silence, as well as her far away expression.

"And that's how I got my first demerit." He quietly said.

"Huh?" His Dire Wolf jerked her head up to look at him. Guilt and worry flashed in her. Had she really missed an entire story?

"Distraction test. Are you alright?" She nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, just thinking. What about you?"

"Fine." He answered, noticing she'd lost concentration again.

§ § §

The LAAT/i gunships flew down toward the surface of Felucia, undisturbed by enemy fire or even simple air currents. It was a beautifully peaceful day. The small task force was to investigate the disappearance of an entire town of immigrates.

Five klicks out from the town, the gunships landed. Squads of clones stepped out, Dire Wolves accompanying them. Apatha shook her head as the confusing scents of the native flora flooded her nose.

"Ugh! Smells like mushrooms!" Stone Bite complained, rubbing his nose with a foreleg. The big grey wolf's clone companion, Horus, smiled. The sniper ruffled Stone Bite's ears gently.

"A large percentage of the plant life is fungi." He explained.

"That explains why I thought I was smelling Jynx's feet so much." The wolf teased. Apatha and Chopper remained impassive towards the joke as the others laughed.

"You'd think they'd be more worried about the missing two hundred-some civvies." Chopper softly commented.

"No kidding." Apatha agreed.

"All squads, move out." Stass Allie ordered over the comm. As one, the six squads began in a quick jog toward the deserted town.

§ § §

"What do you mean you can't pick up their scents? Over two hundred people were here!" Chopper snapped. Apatha flinched as his voice grated through his helmet's filters, making him sound alarmingly like Snow Flash. The small movement wasn't lost on him. He knelt beside her and scratched the middle of her neck roughly. "Sorry. I need to shut up now." She shook herself and nosed his hand.

"Nah, just bark before biting. I don't know how we aren't smelling them. I think the local flora is messing with the scents." Apatha found some tracks and took a deep breath, then leapt back with a squeal of surprise, pain, and a little indignation. "Agh, haar'chak! They used kriffin' Mustafar Pepper!" She shook her head as she tried to get the powder out of her sinuses. Around the town, other wolves were finding and reacting to the spice similarly. Chopper wiped away some of the chalky-grey substance from around Apatha's nose.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

"Ugh, this was so uncalled for!" Stone Bite complained while walking over.

"I've suddenly decided I don't like this planet. Can we go home, now?" Ice Claw agreed, followed by Jynx.

"What is it?" Horus asked slowly and deliberately.

"Mustafar Pepper. Extremely strong spice and a very effective means to throw off tracking hounds. Or anything with a nose." Apatha replied.

"The uncaring creature of night has made a joke. All prepare for the apocalypse." Stone Bite teased good-naturedly. She growled in response.

"I wasn't kidding, Stone Bite. The only reason the humans haven't been affected yet is because of their helmets." The black she-wolf snapped irritably.

"What about tracks? There must be some that lead into the jungle." Horus interrupted.

"We've got wolves sweeping the perimeter." Apatha once again spoke, coughing as she tried to expel the rising pepper from her lungs. With everybody moving around, a fog was starting to materialize.

"We're going to end up with scent-loss if we stay here." Ice Claw predicted.

"Most likely. For a couple hours, at least. Shouldn't we be sweeping the jungle? Couldn't have possibly had enough pepper to surround the entire town." Apatha suggested.

"I'll comm the General." Chopper offered while bringing his left arm up to his helmet. "General Allie, this is Chopper." He said.

"I read you, Chopper. Have you found anything?"

"No, ma'am, but the wolves are being affected badly by a spice. Most likely left by the kidnappers. Checking the surrounding jungle may be advisable, General."

"Good idea, Chopper."

§ § §

"Still can't smell anything besides pepper." Stone Bite joked while lying in the circle of the squad. Camp had been set up just before sundown, though no fires were permitted. Fires were basically beacons saying '_hey, we're right here, come get us_'.

"You'll be fine by morning." Apatha mumbled, not sparing him a glance.

"Good to hear, Dr. Pepper." He joked. Apatha's hackles slightly rose.

"I'm just going to pretend you didn't say that." She said. Stone Bite smirked in amusement.

"Do you even have a sense of humour?"

"Must've left it back on Kamino." She muttered.

"Is it possible to have no humour?" Jynx asked distractedly. The clone wasn't the brightest, but he never meant to hurt feelings.

"Apatha here is living proof." Stone Bite teased, dog-smiling.

"Now would be a good time to change the subject." The dark wolf warned.

"Alright, how about the missing two hundred people? No tracks leading out of the town and no scents to follow. Did they all just vaporize?" Stone Bite asked while rolling onto his back and stretching.

"You're right. We're tracking beings composed of water." Needle Tooth said, tone dead serious.

"Ha, ha. I'm not kidding. Where do you think they went? The buildings were clear." The grey wolf pointed out. Apatha's ears pricked.

"Wait, there were tracks. Where did they all lead?" She intervened.

"I don't know, all over the place. It's a town; people go places." Stone Bite yawned.

"Yes, but the entire town moving is sure to leave a visual trail. We may not need our noses to find them." The black Dire argued.

"You want to go back to pepper town, be my guest. I'd rather wait until I can smell again." Needle Tooth growled.

"Just gonna walk around. Alpha, with your permission?" Apatha stood and bowed her head.

"Be careful. And take someone with you." Blood fang ordered.

"Alright, night hunting!" Stone Bite leapt to his paws. Apatha rolled her eyes and silently groaned.

_Of all the pup-brained wolves that I could've gone out with..._

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_A.N. ~ so, on to the next chapter of the Felucia arc. posting Chapter Five might be a while since I have yet to write a word. In case you haven't noticed, I've broken my habit of naming the chapters and would like to hear your opinions on what I should call them. Post it in a review if you want your chapter name to possibly appear._

_P.S. ~ the court marshal was the last of Reulte's scenes that I borrowed. From now on, nothing happens that occurred in Scars. Besides, of course, Chopper's past. Thank you so much, Reulte._

_**Mando'a Definitions**: _

_Di'kut—fool, idiot, moron. Insulting depending on speaker's tone._

_Haar'chak—damn it_


End file.
